During the assembly of aircraft airframe structures and other such box-type structures—in which one portion of an assembly system operates on the outside of the structure and another portion of the assembly system operates on the inside of the structure—it is desirable for the various components of the assembly system to be accurately positioned and aligned, facilitating the synchronous performance of assembly tasks. Such tasks include, for example, installing rivets and other fasteners, tasks that may be accomplished manually or through the use of automated assembly systems.
In automated assembly systems, detailed information regarding the location and orientation of the assembly system and its various end-effectors with respect to the structure is preferably generated and maintained. One common method of addressing this positioning problem involves coordinating the position of the internal and external assembly system using “tack” fasteners, which are installed at structural interfaces to stabilize components during assembly. The location of these fasteners can be detected by both the internal and external portions of the assembly system using conventional vision system cameras.
Another common technique involves the use of a small magnet, which can be placed inside a hole of the internal structural component, along with a magnet centroid finder that is moved along the outer surface until the center (i.e., the magnet) is located. An “X” or other such indicia is then marked on the surface, which is then identified by a vision system camera on the external portion of the assembly unit.
Such systems, however, are somewhat imprecise and generally provide only two-dimensional guidance (e.g., x and y position). Furthermore, such passive tacks are not configured to identify the specific structural location in which they are placed.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved fasteners and aligning methods for such fasteners during joining and testing operations. Other desirable features and characteristics of the various embodiments will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.